I uh, I really thought there was going to be more of a ramp up time for the running. But it's hilarious. He can only run about five paces before he wipes out, so I don't know that it's actually any faster than walking. Don't tell him that, though.

He also had some sort of VERBAL EXPLOSION and now he says a ton of words. About half of them are sound effects. He really likes to quack.

tzippy turned into a little person overnight. she is working SO hard on crawling but is still mostly just flailing herself about the floor. it's not pretty, but it gets her from A to B (sort of). she is trying to whistle, and talks constantly (new fav consonant is D).

but maybe the cutest thing is how decisive she is these days. she launches herself at my boobs and has figured out how to pull my shirt down when she wants to nurse. we nursed in the mei tai a for the first time a couple weeks ago and it was like this crazy revelation to her, that we could nurse, while mommy is hiking! or trying to get on the bus! or grocery shopping! she inspects the chests of everyone who holds her too.

i just can't get over how well she is able to communicate now. it's so much less instinctive then when she was a tiny baby... she sees something and wants it, and figures out how to get it!

All of these except "all done" and "NO" (his favorite word... but he's such a cheerful baby!) showed up in the past week or two. His pediatrician said to expect about 5 words by 15 months and I was skeptical he'd even have that many, buuut now I guess he does.

Emma's 8 and 1/2 months. She finally has her first tooth that has popped through the surface of her gums. She scoots around on the floor but has trouble getting her butt up in the air (except when she sleeps- that thing is so high in the air!). She's babbling a lot and her favorite thing to say is, "DADADA". She can stay in a sitting position much better but hasn't pulled herself up yet. The biggest thing I notice is her receptive language skills improving. The other night we were reading her Owl book and I asked her where the moon was and she found it. Then I showed my husband and he was thinking it was just a fluke until he asked her where the Owl was and she touched it. I forget how awesome normal language development is because I work in the Special Education field. She's amazing!

The other night we were reading her Owl book and I asked her where the moon was and she found it. Then I showed my husband and he was thinking it was just a fluke until he asked her where the Owl was and she touched it. I forget how awesome normal language development is because I work in the Special Education field. She's amazing!

I love it! She IS amazing!

Maybe it's kind of cliched to say it, but... babies are just freakin' amazing. They change SO much in the first year.

The Emperor recognizes some things in pictures... people he knows are really exciting for him, so I'm working on finally printing out and hanging up pictures of our family and friends on a wall in the room that will someday be his if he ever moves out of my bed, ha ha. (It's currently where my computer, the guinea pigs, and a billion books are, so I'm in no hurry to get him in here.)

I lost the battery charger for my brand new camera so I can't take videos for a while! But I'm hoping the running/quacking will persist.

I've been lurking for probably the past six months and thought I'd post an update. I originally got on the PPK when I found out I was pregnant and have been coming back for more of the wonderful wisdom that cannot be found in any other place.

So... my daughter will be 16 weeks tonight and I couldn't be more in love! Her name is Zora and she amazes me every day! Right now she's asleep in her sling on my chest, in this ridiculously hyperfeminine suit (ruffles, bows, hearts, puffed sleeves, flowers, and of course, several shades of pink) that was given to her, and I am finding myself surprised at how being a parent is changing me. For instance- I never thought I would become so tolerant of pink and girly stereotypes. I mean, WTH?

I'm a single mom, living with my folks on their horse ranch in the middle of nowhere in Idaho. I love it! I go on walks in the mountains every day and take my cruiser to check the mail. I feel so lucky that I can raise my daughter in so much fresh air.

We're co-sleeping, nursing on demand and doing the cloth diaper thang, which I am so glad I did, even if my life is dominated by laundry. I did struggle with PPD and am on meds, which have made every tons better. There's lots of continual drama with my ex's family, but they are at the other end of the state. I'm not working but will be soon- my dad is closing his law office and moving into the almost-finished office above the barn. I will be doing his dictation and other menial tasks with my baby right there- we are even installing electrical outlets at waist level so Zora will be that much safer.

Zora learned how to roll over last week, from her tummy to her back! She's also in love with this rainforest mobile and spends lots of time singing and squealing. She seems to be about a month ahead developmentally. I'm going to start modeling signs for her this week, starting with "nurse" and "change my diaper." Oh. Does anyone else go through about twenty diapers a day? Zora absolutely despises being wet- although somehow if she's enamored with her mobile she can sit in poop and pee for a bit... I figure she might be easy to potty train.

Your babies are all so beautiful! I've really enjoyed seeing them change and hearing about their latest feats! One of my goals for this week is to figure out how to post pics so y'all can see my little Zor.

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!

OH! Does anyone know how to get the water out of a pacifier so that there is no fear of nastiness festering type deal?

Hi Garlic! I remember you from the old boards. Glad to hear you and Zora are so happy and healthy, and your living situation sounds wonderfully supportive. I don't have any practical baby knowledge (my dude won't be here for a few weeks!) but I just wanted to say welcome back!

oofdiblunk, i study normal language development & i'm STILL amazed when i actually see things happening.

garlic, your description of everything sounds so awesome! a horse ranch in the middle of nowhere sounds amazing. about the water in the paci -- i was always able to just squeeze it on the sides & the water would dribble out. is that not working?

Eat More Garlic! I'm happy to hear things are going so well for you and little Zora. (Love the name, by the way.)

I have a friend whose mother-in-law has a ranch and a TON of horses (she's sort of a one person horse rescue right now) and I really want to overcome my secret fear of riding so I can take the Emperor on a horse! Because how awesome would that be?

This morning I realized the Emperor has another word... well, he thinks he's saying a word. He has a couple of stuffed snakes, and every time he shows one to me, I say "ssssssssilly sssssssnake!" Now whenever he picks one up, before I can say it, he holds it up and goes "SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

Sunshower- I squeeze the pacis but there's always a little left that squishes around, making Zora sound like Maggie Simpson. Cute, but makes me wonder about bacteria. The worst is when the water is soapy- gah!

coldandsleepy- I love the 'ssssssssss'ness! How cute! Makes me want to get Zora some stuffed snakes. As for the horses, I totally get the fear aspect. Even though I was raised around them, I'm still extremely wary, as accidents happen when I get cocky. For instance, I got stepped on when I was about six months pregnant and got a few bones broken in my foot. And now that I go everywhere with Zora attached, I don't feel as confident because I just can't move as fast as I used to. However, there are plenty of older horses around who are pretty much bomb-proof and love to have their tails pulled. Find one of these and instill a lifelong love of horses in the Emperor. I love his name, by the way- Grey is Zora's middle name, too!

olivia (7 mos.) supported herself on hands and knees for the first time today. she wants to crawl so bad, but she is still trying to figure out how to flip her legs around and go from sitting to crawling. she says "da da da!" and "nang nang nang!"

jackson (26 mos.) has started saying "love you!" my heart is melting. he also just learned to completely undress himself.